Red meat is now on the "wing" into innovative restaurants and some meat markets. The latest in meat products is from the "ratite" family of flightless birds. It's lean and tastes like beef, but contains much less fat. In fact, ratite meat is even lower in calories than chicken and turkey.

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Ratites are a family of flightless birds with small wings and flat breastbones. Ostrich, emu and rhea are members of this family. Ostrich is native to Africa; emu, to Australia; and rhea, to South America -- particularly the grasslands of Argentina.

When fully grown, ostriches -- the largest birds in the world -- stand about seven to eight-feet tall and can weigh 300 to 400 pounds; emu are about six feet tall and weigh 125 to 140 pounds. Adult rheas are about five feet tall and weigh 60 to 100 pounds. The birds are 95-percent usable as meat, feathers, oil and leather.

Newly hatched chicks usually weigh about two pounds and are about 10 inches tall. Young ratites must be sheltered in a warm place for their first weeks of life. Adolescent and adult birds are allowed to roam freely in fenced pastures or pens. Ratites need daily exercise to avoid leg and digestive problems.

The closely woven wire fences must be 6 to 8-feet high because ratites can leap over a 5-foot fence. Ratites are fed on grain supplemented by pasture. Ostrich was the first ratite to be raised in the U.S. There are now about 1,000 ostrich growers in the U.S. raising about 100,000 birds. Emu are now raised in at least 43 states by about 10,000 families (3,000 are in Texas). The emu population is about a million. Rheas are the newest U.S. farm-raised ratite, but there are currently over 15,000 rheas in the United States.

Ratite meat is sold as steaks, fillet, medallions (small coin-shaped pieces of meat), roasts and ground meat. The most tender meat comes from the thigh or "fan"; meat also comes from the drum and forequarter.

Are Ratites "Red" or "White" Meat?

Although ratites are poultry, the pH of their flesh is similar to beef. Therefore, they are classified as "red" meat. The raw meat is a very dark cherry red. After cooking, the meat looks like beef and the flavor is similar but a little sweeter.

The tenderness and texture of farmed ratite meat lends itself to light grilling, pan frying or roasting. However, because ratite meat is so low in fat, care must be taken not to overcook it. Especially when roasting ratite meat, it is important to provide ample stock and moisten it, because due to its leanness, it will otherwise become very dry and tough. As a rule of thumb, anything that works for lean venison should work for ratite meat too.

Since ratites are classified as red meats, steaks and roasts can be safely cooked to medium rare (145 °F) up to well done (160 °F); ground meat should be cooked to 160 °F.

At this time, emu, ostrich and rhea meat are specialty items available in restaurants and some stores. The meat is more expensive than beef, pork, chicken and turkey. However, the price will become more reasonable as the quantity of this meat becomes more widely available.